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On Oct. 21, 2024, Fra Rafael Barrué Broch, Abbot of Santa María de Poblet and Abbot President of the Cistercian Congregation of the Crown of Aragon, appointed Sister Sara M. Picher Payà as Prioress Administrator of Santa María de Vallbona. As Prioress Administrator, she becomes the superior of the community, assuming all the powers that universal and proper law grants to the Abbess of the community. ocist.org

The Benedictine Confederation’s Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder is now sharing his circular letters publicly. Traditionally sent only to monasteries, these messages are now available in six languages for everyone to read. Circular letter: https://osb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lettera-circolare1_EN.pdf osb.org

Colloquium on the Degrees of Humility and Pride The link to connect with Zoom to the conference on the Colloquium on the Degrees of Humility and Pride: https://anselmianum.zoom.us/j/92190754520 Programme: https://ocso.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Colloquium_Programme-de-la-Conference.pdf The link to connect to the conference via Zoom, for speakers who will not be present and remote participants, and for those who are present and need translation. There will be a choice between French and Italian. https://ocso.org/2024/11/02/colloquium-on-the-degrees-of-humility-and-pride-2/

News from the Trappist nuns after the floods in the Valencia region (Spain) : We are fine. The electricity was repaired yesterday. The nearby villages are catastrophic. There are still many cars piled up and garages with people trapped and dead. Many families have lost their homes and almost everyone has lost their car. More than one village is without electricity, water and food. The military and buses with many volunteers from all over are already accessing the worst affected places. Two rivers overflowed and the water came suddenly and flooded everything in 15 minutes without giving time to escape. When everything is cleaned up, there will be many more dead. It is most likely that we will welcome families in our Masia. It was a blessing that on the 26th I took Sr. Agripina to the Monasterio Asistencial and on Monday the 28th the whole crop of quinces arrived in Murcia, to the warehouse where the whole harvest has been sold. On the 29th the catastrophe began. Thank you very much for your prayers. Mother Maria Encarnación, Superior

On 1st November 2024, Solemnity of All Saints, Sister Maria Pia Julieta Karundeng made solemn profession at the monastery of Gedono (Indonesia). Sister Maria Pia was born in 1977 in Jakarta (Indonesia). She entered Gedono in 2016 and made first profession in 2019. ocso.org

Montecassino, the ancient father house of the Benedictines, remembered an important event last Thursday, 24 October. Sixty years ago on that day, Pope Paul VI consecrated the abbey church. This ended the long period of reconstruction after the destructive bombardment of the monastery during WWII. During the same occasion, Pope Paul VI declared Saint Benedict Patron of Europe. Archabbot Luca Fallica of Montecassino and the community celebrated this memorial anniversary with the presence of many regional and local dignitaries. During this period of war, the message of peace has taken on new meaning. Pacis Nuntius , “Messenger of Peace” was indeed the title of Pope Paul VI’s proclamation on that day. After the Mass, Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder provided a profound reflection on the 60th anniversary of the consecration of Montecassino Abbey, commemorating its history, the peace message of Pope Paul VI, and the ongoing mission of the Benedictine community. Highlighting the Abbey’s legacy as a place of spiritual renewal, resilience, and peace, Abbot Primate Jeremias’ words also urge us to look forward, embracing values that guide us in our challenging times. osb.org https://osb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Abbot_Jeremias_talk_EN.pdf https://abbaziamontecassino.it/omelie/labbazia-festeggia-i-60-anni-dalla-proclamazione-di-san-benedetto-a-patrono-deuropa-allinterno-lomelia-dellabate-luca/

On 28 October 2024, the community of Phase (Diocese of Sapporo, Japan) elected Dom Franciscus Yoshimoto Kunihiko as Abbot for a six-years term. Dom Franciscus was born in 1958 in Kita-Kyushu, Fukuoka-Ken (Japan). He entered Phare in 1988, made his solemn profession in 1993 and was ordained a priest in 2006. He was abbot of the community from 2009 to 2015. He has been superior ad nutum of the community since 2023. ocso.org

This past week the Austrian Benedictine Congregation held its General Chapter in the Abbey of Göttweig. Göttweig, spectacularly situated on a hill, is sometimes referred to as the Austrian Montecassino. Abbot Columban and his confreres hosted the superiors, delegates and commission members that make up the General Chapter. Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder was also invited and gave two presentations on the opportunities and challenges which smaller communities offer, and on the changing role of Benedictine congregations. On the last day of the chapter, Abbot Johannes Perkmann of Abtei Michaelbeuern was reelected abbot president, and a new council or “Presidium” was also elected. They will now steer this congregation of 12 abbeys and 2 priories into the future. osb.org Abbot President Johannes and his newly elected council. Les membres du Chapitre de la congrégation autrichienne.

On 22 October 2024, Dom Vedaste Vitchomo, abbot of Mokoto and delegated Father Immediate of Mvanda, appointed Sister Barbara Cacherano d’Osasco as Superior ad nutum of Mvanda (Diocese of Kikwit, Dem. Rep. of Congo). Mother Barbara was born in 1961 in Genova (Italy). She entered Vitorchiano in 1990, made her solemn profession in 1996 and was sent to Mvanda in 2003. At the time of her appointment, she was the bursar of the community. ocso.org

Between 16 and 17 October, around 600 mm of rain fell on the abbey in 36 hours. There was extensive material damage to the site. The shop, the cellars containing all the stocks of our products, and several areas such as the hikers' reception area were badly flooded. 10 cm in the hikers' reception area, 30 cm in the shop, and almost a metre in the cellars. The boilers in all these buildings were submerged in a metre of water, and computer equipment, furniture and many other objects were ruined. On 18 October, the fire brigade was hard at work pumping out the cellars, while friends, employees and workmen were repairing the monastery's drinking water supply, which had been ripped out by torrents of rainwater. You can see more images in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS-Tjp-RGxc The external damage is considerable, particularly to the forest paths, and the community may have to pay for the entire repair work. Our insurance companies will cover part of the damage, but we are very grateful to anyone who can help us financially to cope with this disaster. You can make a donation on the Fondation des Monastères website by selecting ‘I would like to make a donation to COMMUNAUTE CISTERCIENNE NOTRE DAME DES NEIGES’ via this link: https://don.fondationdesmonasteres.org/soutenir Thank you so much for your help, your friendship and your prayers. We assure you of ours in return. Don't hesitate to write to us at inondation@ndneiges.org if you live nearby and can lend us a hand! https://www.notredamedesneiges.com/

https://ocso.org/2024/10/14/the-general-chapter-newsletter-2025/ ocso.org

After the election of the new Prioress General on October 8, the General Councillors were elected on October 9. The new generalate members are: Sr. Rosann Ocken of Norfolk Priory / USA Sr. Mary Thomas Prado of Manila Priory / Philippines Sr. Katharina Mtitu of Peramiho Priory / Tanzania Sr. Philippa Kwak of Daegu Priory / South Korea Sr. Marie-Therese Brodmann of Tutzing Priory / Germany The newly elected leaders will installed into office in January 2025. osbtutzing.org